Oratory Competition CICAE - UCJC

Oratory, the art of elevating the thought.

The Public Speaking Tournament is a CICAE project that promotes public speaking and the ability to speak in public among the youngest schoolchildren. This project offers a rich learning experience for both educators and participants, featuring a comprehensive program of in-person and online training sessions.

With the participation of 29 CICAE schools, 80 teams, more than 320 students… Aimed at students in 5th and 6th grade of primary school and 1st and 2nd of ESO, organized in two categories, they can compete either in English or Spanish.

THE STAGES OF THE TOURNAMENT

In the first phase of the tournamentEach school makes a preliminary selection and proposes a maximum of 40 students per category (20 per team, with each school presenting a maximum of 2 teams per category). These students send a video to the academic committee, making a speech on a topic according to their age (previously chosen by the organization). The academic committee then selects the students (4 per team, if 2 teams register, this results in 8 students selected per category) who will move on to the on-site phase.

The second phase consists of a face-to-face tournament, divided into two parts: a preliminary qualifying round and the final.

A - PRELIMINARY STAGE - consists of 4 tests

1ª Declamation of a historical speech. Previamente al torneo, se les entregará a los alumnos 5 discursos históricos o famosos.

2nd Speech on a free theme.

3rd Improvisation.. The speaker is given a word 6 minutes before starting his speech (love, friendship, empathy, family, work…) and has to improvise his 3-minute speech.

4th: Argumentative speech.. Con unos días de anticipación al torneo, se les entregará a los alumnos un listado de 5 temas de actualidad. Tendrá que preparar un discurso de corte argumentativo.

The total score of the team will be obtained from the sum of points obtained by each of the 4 speakers in the aforementioned 4 tests (10 per test, maximum 160 points per team).

FINAL STAGE

The six best-ranked teams after the qualifying rounds will advance to the final of the tournament (both Primary and ESO Tournament). (both the Primary Tournament and the ESO Tournament).

Each team must choose in which test (of the four that made up the initial phase) each of the 4 members of the team will represent them (historical speech/claim, improvisation, argumentative speech, and free theme).

After the speeches, the teams will be ranked from sixth to first (champion), according to the total number of points obtained by the sum of their 4 members.

TRAINING, ITS MAIN VALUE

The primary objective of the tournament is to provide comprehensive training in public speaking and communication skills.. To this end, students will be part up to 8 training days where they will learn the best communication and public speaking techniques with the help of the best professionals.

In addition, teachers receive training and tools to help their students acquire self-confidence in their presentations, nerve management skills, and communication resources to improve their interventions. This expert training provides teachers with valuable knowledge and strategies to support the development of their students.

In addition, a key aspect of the training programme is the feedback loop provided to students after each tournament. This feedback serves as a valuable tool to increase students’ confidence and skills, allowing them to continually improve and grow throughout the tournament.

THE MAIN OBJECTIVES

Acquiring self-confidence from an early ageInstilling self-confidence, which will result in students being able to address an audience with confidence and face different communicative situations. These skills will be very useful throughout their academic life and in their future projects.

Cultivate critical thinking: Through structured interventions and research on age-appropriate topics, students will develop their reasoning and critical thinking skills. This process will allow them to critically analyze information, form informed opinions and express themselves articulately.

Enriching experiences
The tournament provides students with an extracurricular experience that allows them to interact with peers who share similar interests and concerns, fostering motivation and contributing to personal satisfaction and growth.